Nokia 2330 Classic

Some time ago, I reviewed by trusty old Nokia 6210, a phone that had lasted well through almost ten years of constant use. Unfortunately, it seems that posting that review jinxed it, as it promptly started to have problems charging. I suspect the problem was the charger rather than the phone, but , unable to find a charger to test it out, I decided instead to buy a new phone, as I needed one for work .
I already knew I wanted to stay with my current network, Vodafone, and also that I wanted to remain a Pay-As-You-Go customer . After a little more thought, I also decided that I wanted a Nokia phone, as I was very familiar with the designs, and that I wanted something with a good amount of battery life, as I often forget to charge my phone . The assistant at the Vodafone store was very nice, and didn't try to sell me anything I didn't need, or anything incredibly expensive - instead, he recommended the £30 Nokia 2330 Classic, explaining that it had a good battery life ( Up to 540 hours ) , and offered a very similar keyboard layout to my old phone, whilst still including a camera, internet access, and FM radio .They also had an offer on in store, where PAYG phones all came with £10 free credit . So, for my £30, I got the phone, battery, charger, sim card, and a £10 top up voucher, which I could either apply to my new sim, or to my old one if I chose to keep my number.


Upon opening the box, and the manual at home, I was impressed to see that unlike many other phones I have purchased in the past, this does not need to be charged overnight before use - it's ready to set up straight away . Naturally, this involved fitting the battery and inserting the sim card, a process that was a little tricky, despite the handy diagram in the manual, and something I suspect could be doen much more easily by someone who, unlike me, does not bite their fingernails down to stubs .The phone itself is a basic candy bar design, not too heavy at 90g, but a nice size that isn't so small I worry about losing it . The buttons sit flush with trhe casing, and the phone is largely silver, with a matt black backing, and some glossy piano black detailing on the front . The Nokia logo, at the top of the screen is small and subtle in silver, and the buttons are clearly indicated as to their purpose . Charging (and the insertion of headphones) is done by prising open a small manel at the top left side of the phone and plugginh in the jacks. One small downside is that the charger lead is not very long, which could be a difficulty if you need to make a call on the phone while it is charging .
Turning it on, I was greeted by a bright white screen, and prompted to enter the date and time. Once that was done, I was free to play .The first thing that impressed me was the brightness of the screen - it really is incredibly easy to see text on this screen, and the 128 x 160 pixels screen is certainly large enough to enable easy reading of text messages, and a good display for pixtures . The screen displays colour well, with pictures displaying clear and bright .
Then it was time to play with the Fm radio, a feature not present on my old phone . I was mildly dissapointed to see that the radio could not be used without the headphones being plugged in, as the headphones cable acts as an ariel . Now, I'm not one of those annoying idiots at the back of the bus, blasting out my (c)Rap music at top volume, but I was rather hoping I might be able to educate them with a loud and blaring play of Schuberts Ave Maria. Sadly, not the case, perhaps for the best. The headphones themselves are small, with a decent length of cable, and are the kind that sit inside the curve of your ear. They are comfortable to wear, with inline volume control, and produce a clear, crisp sound .The radio scanner managed to pick up seven radio stations , which was plenty really, including BBC two, and BBC four, the two I listen to the most. Playback was generally good, although occasionally the tuner would need tweaking .
With the radio playing some soothing music , it was time to let my friends know my new number (I decided to ditch the old one as a good way to cut some undesirables from my life). But before I could do that, I needed to put all their numbers into my phone - this was pretty easy,as I could synchronise this phone with my old one via bluetooth and send the contact list over quickly and conveniently . I did enter a coupld of numbers manually, and found it straightforward. although it asked for first and second name, and displayed contacts second name first in my list. So, for example, Harry Balls would be displayed as Balls, Harry .Right, time to call them all up and tell them about my new shiny phone - accessing the contact list was incredibly easy, and making a call simply required a single button press. I have never had any problems with reception at all with Vodafone on my old Nokia, and so far no problems here either. My poor friends though, they are a poorlyy lot with this bad weather, and a little hoarse - but luckily I can turn up the phone volume whilst still in a call.
Texting is also very simple, with predictive text offered as an option, and some handy templates and emoticons for those of us too lazy to actually type a man sticking his tongue out ( :P ) . I liked that I could enter up to 1000 characters into a text, great for those longer messages, and also the ability to add multiple contacts. It also remembers who you text most often, and stores these names in a recently used folder.The camera is not something I really use, since I actually have a digital camera, but it is easy to access, and does have a night-time mode which offers brighter clearer images in dark conditions . The pictures I have so far taken appear a little blurry when displayed on the camera screen, but fare considerably better when transferred via bluetooth to my PC.
The phone comes equipped with a small selection of ringtones, with many more available to download via the internet, which is easy to access on this phone, and seems to be pretty reliable, although again, is something I have not used much . There is a small selection of games on the phone too, including that classic, Snake, as well as demo versions of some games such as Lego Batman, Assassins Creed, and Galaxy Balls.There are a couple of small downsides with this phone . I find that on occasion the phone can be a little slow, only a few seconds delay but a niggling annoyance none the less. I also find the charger cable too short, and the location of the charging jack itself, behing the little closed door, is irritating.
But, as a basic phone to keep in touch, it offers great value for money at just £30. It offers all the basic functions, with some degree of customisation available with regards to ringtones, wallpapers and messaging tones, and actually looks quite smart. Recommended , but with one star off for being a little slow on occasion

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